BURLINGTON, Vt. -
A majority of Burlington voters decided to "support the legalization, regulation and taxation of all cannabis and hemp products." But reading over the ballot question too quickly caused some to misinterpret what the meaning of a "yes" vote is.
Ward 2 city councilor Max Tracy pushed for the Cannabis question to be added to Burlington's ballot to start a dialogue on marijuana reform.
"In this case we found that Burlingtonians are really ready for that conversation and overwhelmingly so," Councilor Tracy said.
Tracy said he's expecting the Vermont state legislature to tackle the question of decriminalizing marijuana in the next session but hopes it will go even further. Some Burlington residents thought legalized pot was already a reality after the vote on ballot question four received more than 70% "yes" votes from voters. Council Tracy made it clear though that this vote did not legalize marijuana.
"It's important to be clear about that. Nothing has changed," Tracy said.
While most understood the question some tweeters quickly jumped to the conclusion that Burlington had legalized marijuana, much like Colorado and Washington state did in this election.
Legalization isn't supported by everyone in Vermont but it's something Tracy believes is worth standing behind.
"I already have stuck my neck out as far as I'm concerned with this whole thing," Tracy said.
"And you know it certainly was a risk and one that I was more than happy to take."
